PREVIEW: Blue Jackets visit Utah for the first time

The cliché goes that patience is a virtue, and the Blue Jackets are finding that out as they continue to be one of the hottest teams in the NHL.

The last two games have been battles of attrition against two of the heaviest teams in the league in Los Angeles and Vegas, and the Blue Jackets weren’t going to be able to easily skate their way past either of those teams and post the high-scoring outbursts that often marked the first half of the season.

The Jackets were going to have to stick to the plan, play strong defense and seize their opportunities to beat the Kings and Golden Knights, and that’s exactly what they did. With consecutive overtime victories against those squads, Columbus moved back on the right side of the postseason line and showed they might have the right stuff to keep thriving as the games get bigger and bigger in the NHL season.

It all goes back to a word head coach Dean Evason has used a lot this season – patience. Given how many young players are in key roles for the Blue Jackets, you might expect them to want to push for goals and to make things happen in tight games, but this team has learned quickly that sometimes less is more when you’re facing the NHL’s toughest teams.

“I’m impressed that the players don’t want to open it up,” Evason said after Thursday’s 2-1 win in Vegas. “They’re saying the same things (we’re saying as coaches). It’s not like we’re saying, ‘You can’t carry the puck in, you can’t try to score goals, you can’t try to make plays when it presents itself.’ But it’s fun because they’re coaching themselves, they’re coaching each other in situations. So yeah, it’s nice. Do you want to score as many goals as you can? Sure, but any type of win is a good win.”

Indeed that is true, and Columbus put two more points in the bank against the Golden Knights on Thursday night to kick off a key four-game road swing that continues tonight in the franchise’s first-ever visit to Utah.

The victory against Vegas was impressive in a number of ways, including the fact Columbus went into one of the most hostile environments in the league and didn’t seem flustered. They also didn’t bend or break after a shaky start that included a Vegas goal five minutes in, as the Blue Jackets stuck to their game plan and got better as the night went on.

“They scored first, but that didn’t break our confidence at all,” said Adam Fantilli, who scored the opening goal for the CBJ late in the first period. “We stayed sound in what we were doing, and we were able to get one and pretty much stay like that for the rest of the game. It went to overtime and we were able to finish it out, so two points is two points and we’re happy about it.”

While Fantilli knotted things with the lone CBJ tally of regulation, fellow young centerman Cole Sillinger won the game in overtime, capping a performance in which the Blue Jackets showed again they can hang in against some of the league’s best.

“These are the type of games that coming down the stretch here we need,” Sillinger said. “It’s nice to start this road trip off with the win.”

Know The Foe: Utah Hockey Club

Head coach: Andre Tourigny (Fourth season)

Team stats: Goals per game: 2.82 (22nd) | Scoring defense: 2.96 (16th) | PP: 22.5 percent (14th) | PK: 81.8 percent (7th)

The narrative: After years of trials and tribulations when it came to finding a feasible, long-term arena solution in Arizona, the then-Coyotes headed to Utah this offseason. Fans in Salt Lake City were rewarded with a young, entertaining team that appears to be on the cusp of success after making the playoffs just once in their last 12 seasons in the desert. The squad isn’t quite there yet, but the top nine scorers are all age 28 or younger, showing the talent is starting to fall into place.

Team leaders: Clayton Keller may be one of the most underrated players in the league, as the 26-year-old wing leads the squad in all three major statistical categories this season with a 18-36-54 line on the year. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 draft, Logan Cooley, is having a breakout season at age 20 with 15 goals and 43 points but is out with a lower body injury, while Nick Schmaltz has a 10-30-40 line. Another top draft pick, Dylan Guenther (ninth overall in 2021), is next on the team with 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 points but has missed time recently with a lower body injury.

In net, Karel Vejmelka has been one of the top netminders in the league this season, going 11-14-3 but posting a 2.47 goals-against average and .912 save percentage on the season in 30 games.

What’s new: Utah was hanging in there with a 16-11-5 record through Dec. 20, but the Hockey Club has just five wins in the last 18 games and sits seven games out of a playoff spot going into tonight’s action after Wednesday night’s OT loss vs. Pittsburgh. Of note, fans at the Delta Center will be able to vote on the three finalists for the team’s permanent nickname – Hockey Club, Mammoth or Outlaws – over a four-game stretch that includes tonight’s contest vs. the Blue Jackets.

Trending: Arizona swept the season series a year ago, and the Blue Jackets were 0-3-1 vs. the Coyotes the past two seasons after sweeping the two games in 2021-22.

Former CBJ: Defenseman Ian Cole has posted a 1-12-13 line this season while playing for his ninth NHL team, while center Kevin Stenlund has held down the fourth line while chipping in seven goals among his 12 points.